Record-strip perforator for type-forming machines.



No. 663,97I.- Y Patented Dec. I8, |900. T. LANSTUN.

RECORD STRIP PERFOBATOR FUR TYPE FURMING MACHINES.

(Application led Oct. 7, 1899.)

(No Model 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

l l I l l I l l l l nuem l'oL 7` MMA) Y @Henne-Itis No. 663,97I. Patented Dec. I8, |900.

T. LAN-STUN.

RECORD STRIP PERFORATOR FOR TYPE FO'RMING MACH|NES.-

(Application filed Oct. 7, 1899.)

Nanms mens co.. Priore-upm., WASHING (No Model.)

Wi tumbas No. 663,97I. Patented Dec. I8, |900.

T. LANSTON. RECORD STRIP PERFORATOR FUR TYPE FRMING MACHINES.

. (Application filed Oct. 7, 1599.)

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3,

@VH1/wanen TH: cams PETERS eo rnorqumo., WASHINGTON. IJA cu NITD STATES PATENT rricnf.

TOLBERT LANSTON, OF'WASHINGTON, DISTROT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE LANSTON-MONOTYPE MAOHINECOMPANY, O F SAME PLACE.

- 'rir'coo-srmrrtliromror Foa TYPE-FORMING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of `Letters PatentNo. 663,971, dated December 18, 1900.

Application filed October 7, 1899 To a/ZZ whom it may concern; Be it known that I, ToLBERrLANsToN, a

ington, in the District of Columbia, have in.- vented certain neyvand useful Improvements, in Machines for Preparing the Perforated Record-Strips of Type-Forming Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and tothe'letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates generally to improvements in controllable perforating mechally-controlled 'or .keyboard punching machines-suck for example, as those employed in connection with the Lanston monotypev and similar systems for the production or preparation of perforated record-strips or controllers-the latter being utilized to govern or control other mechanisms, such as type-making machinery, in the. production of printing characters.

As an exemplification of the general class to which the present invention relates reference may be had to .my priorlpatent, No. 590,763, dated September 28, 1897, and for a more specific type reference may be had to my Patent No.654=,1 15, dated July 17, 1900.

The object of the present improvement is to provide for the simultaneous production of any desired number of perforated recordstrips or controllersby a single operator and without imposing upon theoperatorgreater labor than is necessary for the productionof a single stripor controller.

Referring to the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of 4o a structure adapted for the simultaneous production of threerecord-strips orcontrollers. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through a portion of one of the punchingmechanisms and having coupled therewith threeother punching mechanisms, portions of the mechanism rof vwhich are shown in section and elevation. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section,

showing one of the paper or strip feeding mechanisms. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of 5o one form of gate or valve, such as is employed anism, and specifically 4to theclass of manu- 'stituting a keyboard.

. serial No. 732,926. (no modelo for cuttingout any desiredo'neY ofthe perforating and paper or strip feeding mechanisms. citizen of the United States,v residing at Wash-Q g Like letters of reference in the several figures,indicate the same parts. In carryingthe presentinventionintopractice and as shown in the before-mentioned patent, No. 654,115, the strip or controller is adapted to befed froma supply-roll A around adie or mandrel B and to be' Wound upon a Winding-shaft O. ln its passage around the 6o mandrel it is subjected to the action of aseries of punches D, preferably working vertically through suitable apertures in the mandrel and adapted to produce perforations'repre-y senting all the characters and spaces employed in the completed composition for the' production of which the record-strip forms the controller. The punches D are moved vertically by means of levers E, which latter in turn receive their motion from a series of 7o punch-motors preferably consisting of pneumatic cylinders and pistons F and f, respectively, to which compressed motive fluid, such as air, may be admitted from any suitable source upon the manipulation of appropriate finger-pieces G, grouped together and con- In the preferred construction the ringer-pieces G constitute, as it were, valves for admitting pressure into pipes or conduits H, and the latter in turn 8o are connected with the cylinders F in proper o rder to'project the punches in combinations corresponding to the finger-pieces on the keyboard. The `ringer-pieces on the keyboard are preferably arranged in What may be termed columns7 extending vertically or away from the operator and in rows extending at right angles thereto or horizontally, and each nger-piece is adapted to admit pressure in the proper pipe or conduit H for rais-f 9o ing a punch corresponding to the column and a punch correspondingto the row in which that 'finger-piece is located, as will be readily understood from an inspection of Fig. l and from which it will be apparent thatbut arelatively small number of punches need bev employed to secure all of the combinations necessary for representing a very large number of characters on the keyboard.

Obviously the number of sets of punches roo and strip-feeding mechanisms which may be connected with and operated from the pipes or conduits H is limited onlyby the length of said conduits and the pressure at whichthe motive fluid is supplied, and in the accoming drawings, Fig. l, is shown, diagrammatically, three sets of punches, whilein Fig. 2four Sets of such punching mechanisms are shown, each being a duplicate of the other and corresponding punchesof each being operated from the said supply pipe or conduit H. In order to provide for cutting out any one of such mechanismsmfnere is preferably provided. a single valve or slide for each mechanism which will by a single movement cut off comm unication between all of the supply pipes or conduits H and the entire series of punches for that mechanism. Such aslide or vaiveis illustrated in perspective at K, Figs. 2 and 4, and it will be noted from Fig. 4 that it has a selies of apertures therein corresponding in number to the number of punches or punchmotor cylinders employed in each of the mechanisms, as shown in Fig. l, and by a lnovement in or out it is adapted to move such perforations into orout of registry with the pipes or conduits h, connecting the punchmotor cylinders with the supply-pipes H. Obviously any preferred mechanism for moving the slide or valve K may be employed, and I have shown as a convenient device simple pivoted levers L, the upper ends of which constitute handles which may be grasped by the operator and moved in one direction or the other.

The paper-feeding mechanism for each set of punches which operates on the paper strip through the medium of pin-wheels M and gearing N,connected with the winding-shaft, preferably consists of oscillatory pawling mechanism O, Fig. 3, adapted to be operated during the retraction of the punches through a rod o and a strip-feed motor-piston and cylinder l?. Pressure is admitted to the cylinder P on opposite sides of the piston from a pipe p and is controlled by a valve Q, connected with a cross-piece R, extending above the levers E and adapted to be elevated each time any one of said levers are elevated, so as to move said piston up or down, as the case may he, to advance the strip for the next perforation or set of perforations. The pipe p for supplying pressure to the paper or strip feed motorP is connected with its main H' through the slide or valve K, which is preferably provided with a rear aperture p', adapted to form a portion of the conduit between the pipe h and motorcylinder or to move out of registry and so prevent the passage of motive Huid therethrough. Thus by moving the valve K communication between the pressure-supply and the punching and paper-feeding mechanism may be entirely cut off or simultaneously restored. Thus with a large number of punching mechanisms controlled by a single keyboard any desired number of said punching mechanisms may be thrown into or out of action and without in any wise affecting the others or imposing upon the operator any greater or less labor. With this arrangement it will be seen that an operator having the keyboard and one of the strip punching and feeding mechanisms directly under his eye may by manipulating the linger-pieces and observing the punching mechanism produce a single record or strip, and with duplicate punching and strip-feeding mechanism controlled by the same keyboard he may produce other record-strips which will be exact duplicates in all particulars both as to justification and character, and these record-strips may be used for the simultaneous control of independentmachines. For newspaper-work, where a number of different presses are employed for running olf the same matter, ob-

viously this is a very material advantage, and it will also be found to be highly advantageous where matter is to be simultaneously produced or printed at widely separated points, inasmuch as the compositor may produce the record-strips or controllers and distribute them as desired for the production of the composition. Thus one compositor may produce matter for simultaneously running a large number of different character-prodncing machines.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. In an apparatus for simultaneouslyproducing duplicate record-strips or controllers for type-forming machines, the combination with a series of sets of punches and recordstrip-feeding mechanism for presenting the strip to said punches, ofa keyboard,independ ent punch-motors for the punches of each series, mains connecting said keyboard and punch-motors, and controlling mechanism interposed in the connections between the mains and motors for simultaneously throwing the motors of each set of punches into or out of action; substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus for simultaneously producing duplicate record-strips or controllers, the combination with independent strip-feedingmechanisms,independentsets of punches, independent motors for the punches of each set and common mains for like punch-motors of all the sets, of a keyboard and finger-pieces controlling the mains and arranged in colu mns and rows, whereby upon the operation of any finger-piece, motors corresponding to the column, and other motors corresponding to the row in which said linger-piece is located, will be operated to advance corresponding punches in all the sets; substantially as described.

3. In a pneumatically-operated mechanism for simultaneously producing duplicate record-strips or controllers for type-forming machines, the combination of the following instrumentalities, to wit, a keyboard embodying finger-pieces, arranged in vertical columns and horizontal rows, a system of mains,

lOO

IIO

the pressure in which is controlled by the Hilger-pieces, independent sets of punches and record-strip-feeding mechanisms, motors for each of said punches and strip-feeding mechanisms and independent connections between said motors and mains, corresponding motors in each of the sets being' connected with the same main; substantially as described.

4. In a pneumatically-operated mechanism for simultaneously producing duplicate record-strips or controllers for type-forming machinery, the combination of the following instrumentalities, t-o wit, a system of main conduits, a keyboard embodying finger-pieces controlling the pressurein said mains, a series of independent sets of punches and recordstrip-feeding mechanisms, independent motors for each of the punches and record-stripfeeding mechanisms, independent connections between corresponding motors of each set and the same main, and independent controlling-Valves located intermediate each set of punch-motors and mains, whereby all of the motors of each set may be simultaneously thrown into or out of operative connection with the main; substantially as described.

5. In a pneu matically-operated mechanism for simultaneously producing duplicate record-strips or controllers for type-forming machinery, the combination of the following instrumentalities, to Wit, aseries of sets of record-strip-producing mechanisms embodying punches and record-strip-feeding mechanisms, independent motors for each of the punches of each of the series embodying pneumatic cylinders and pistons, a system of mains with which said cylinders are in communication, corresponding cylinders 0f the several sets being connected with the same main and a keyboard embodying finger-pieces arranged in vertical columns and horizontal rows, each of said finger-pieces being adapted to open communication with one of the mains corresponding to the column and one of the mains corresponding to the row in which said finger-piece is located, whereby upon the operation of any inger-piece, pressure will be admitted for the operation of punches in ea-ch of the sets corresponding to the column and row in which the finger-piece is located; substantially as described.

. TOLBERT LANSTON. Witnesses:

B. F. COLE, ALEXANDER S. STEUART. 

